By MONROE ROARK
mroark@thecitizennews.com

In the wake of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals' decision Wednesday to rule the Pledge of Allegiance unconstitutional because of the phrase "under God," it's time for a condensed history lesson so that those who continually try to push God farther out of American society can be reminded of why this country has survived and thrived these past centuries.

The vast majority of settlers from Europe who colonized the Western Hemisphere came for one of two reasons: God and gold. Most of those who came and colonized our nation did so in an attempt to worship God as they saw fit with no government interference. Much of the land to the south, from Mexico to Argentina, was settled by people whose top priority was material wealth.

The ones who put God first became the most powerful nation on earth, while much of the rest of the Western Hemisphere teeters on the brink of Third World status. Some people today will insist that God had nothing to do with that, but many of those same people believe we're all simply here by an accident of evolution anyway. Anyone with a sound mind knows better.

Our three-tier system of government was based on a passage found in the book of Isaiah: "For the LORD is our judge [executive branch], the LORD is our lawgiver [legislative branch], the LORD is our King [executive branch]; he will save us." The founding fathers knew what they were doing.

According to the book of Genesis, God told Abraham several thousand years ago that he would "bless them that bless thee and curse them that curse thee," and that through him "all nations of the earth will be blessed." He was referring to those who would bless or curse Abraham's direct descendants, the Jewish people.

Fast forward to the present. The United States, which led the effort in the 1940s to stop a madman who would have wiped out the Jewish race, and which has been the best friend of the nation of Israel the past 50 years, is the most powerful nation on earth. This is not a coincidence, either.

In short, the United States is great for three main reasons: it was founded on principles that honor God by people who wanted to follow Him; it still sends more missionaries around the world than any other country; and it has stood by Israel. These things have kept this country strong in spite of repeated attempts to push God out of so many areas of American life.

Fifty years ago, the most commonly reported problems in public schools were students talking in class and chewing gum. Today, we have middle school students participating in oral sex on school buses, police constantly keeping watch on campuses for dangerous weapons, and a laundry list of other nightmares in our educational system. But at least we're trying hard not to offend anybody by mentioning God too much.

In the months since Sept. 11, there have been reports of schools where students are not allowed to have Bible study on their own time after class, but the study of Islam is encouraged throughout the day. Every public school graduation ceremony where there is the possibility of a student prayer has become a firestorm of controversy. Meanwhile, academic standards have plummeted, drowning in a sea of political correctness.

Students in America are taught daily that America is to blame for most of the world's problems, mainly because our nation is filled with evil capitalists and racists. They are taught that right and wrong no longer exist, and that morality is based on individual choice. They are taught that they are no more important than animals, so when they act like animals, it's no big deal.

Now our hearts skip a beat every time we see footage of a school on the evening news, and we pray (well, some of us, anyway) that another disenchanted student hasn't brought an arsenal to class and opened fire. But there's little danger of seeing a bullet-riddled copy of the Ten Commandments, because the Ten Commandments aren't allowed on campus.

People across the country asked why God didn't intervene at Columbine three years ago. They should ask the ones who have been pushing God out of schools for nearly 40 years.

[Monroe Roark can be reached at mroark@TheCitizenNews.com.]

Back to the Opinion Home Page | Back to the top of the page